The first time Bob Lilley took over as coach of the Rhinos in 2010, he revamped the roster in a way that had never been done before. Twenty-one of the 24 players were new.

Rochester was a fifth-place team in 2009 that needed a culture change after Darren Tilley's two seasons as coach. The transformation produced a squad that won its division, was second in the league in goals and third in goals allowed.

So it was fairly predictable what Lilley would do after he was rehired last September following two seasons off. He blew up the roster again. After falling to a franchise-worst 6-10-10 record, an 11th-place finish and missing the playoffs for the first time in the club's 18-year history, the Rhinos needed to reboot.

This time 19 of the 24 players are new, and at 7:30 p.m. Saturday the makeover gets its first true eye test. Rochester plays its USL PRO season opener at defending champion Orlando City. The Rhinos are 0-6-1 all-time against the Lions, who are moving up to Major League Soccer next year.

"The players are excited and I'm anxious to know where we are. We're going to have a lot of questions answered in terms of how we stack up," said Lilley, the 47-year-old who in 12 seasons in the USL has never coached a team that missed the playoffs. "There's a belief. They've worked hard. The chemistry's good. We know we have a good side."

Orlando (0-0-2) is coming off a spotty start: 1-1 ties at Charleston and at home versus Pittsburgh. So the Lions could ready to roar and a lot like Rhinos in their heyday. Their lineup features players who've won league honors for Goalkeeper (Miguel Gallardo) and Defender of the Year (Rob Valentino) and league MVP (Kevin Molino).

Lilley's Rhinos are young, but he knows what it takes to win in this league, likes what he sees so far and won't let his players think they're going to Orlando to try to be competitive. "The day to start learning how to win is Saturday," he said, "not a month from now."

A 1-6-1 start and ton of injuries doomed last year's club and cost second-year coach Jesse Myers his job. The only holdovers as starters are wing JC Banks and Tyler Rosenlund and Lance Rozeboom, who'll again anchor the defensive midfield. Backup goalie Brandon Miller and forward Matt Luzunaris, who is still recovering from a broken leg, are other returnees.

"I've got high expectations," Banks said. "It's a young team, but it's really talented. A lot of guys have the right attitude. I think we have some ways to go, but we'll get there."

The only two pro rookies expected to start Saturday are midfielder Minh Vu (Penn State) and 6-foot-6 central defender Patrick Slogic (Cornell), one of the final cuts by Columbus (MLS) this spring. Slogic is part of the entirely rebuilt defense. Rochester was 11th out of 13 teams last year in goals allowed (41). Slogic and Kyle Hoffer, a fourth-year pro who was part of a USL champion in 2012 with Charleston, are center backs with Senegal native Babacar Diallo and Maryland native Ayao Sossou on the outside.

Second-year pro Luis Soffner, who led Indiana to the 2012 NCAA title, will start in goal. Soffner, midfielder Alec Sundly and Jossimar Sanchez (both are injured) are all on a season-long loans from Rochester's MLS affiliate, New England. The 6-4 Soffner, 22 beat out LaSalle University product John McCarthy, 21, for the No. 1 job in goal.

Rosenlund and Lilley both said the Rhinos are faster overall. Lilley also said he'll use a much deeper lineup. Difference-makers up should be speedy forward Alex Dixon and Colin Rolfe, a Hermann Award Trophy finalist for the University of Louisville. Both young forwards have been in the the Houston Dynamo system.

"Dixon will be one of the best 1-v-1 attackers in the league," Rosenlund said.